Systems and method for adjusting auditory prostheses settings

ABSTRACT

Examples relate to systems and methods for providing settings adjustments to auditory prostheses. One or more settings adjustments can be provided to an auditory device in response to a request for the adjustments or a notification that the recipient is experiencing poor quality. The technologies disclosed herein can dynamically adapt based upon information received from a set of auditory prostheses. The information received from the set of auditory prostheses can be used to update the settings adjustments.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/597,414, filed Oct. 9, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/009,618, filed Jan. 28, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.10,477,325, and which claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/146,013, filed Apr. 10, 2015. All of these applications aretitled “SYSTEMS AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTING AUDITORY PROSTHESES SETTINGS”and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for any andall purposes.

BACKGROUND

Hearing loss, which can be due to many different causes, is generally oftwo types: conductive and sensorineural. Sensorineural hearing loss isdue to the absence or destruction of the hair cells in the cochlea thattransduce sound signals into nerve impulses. Various hearing prosthesesare commercially available to provide individuals suffering fromsensorineural hearing loss with the ability to perceive sound. Forexample, cochlear implants use an electrode array implanted in thecochlea of a recipient (i.e., the inner ear of the recipient) to bypassthe mechanisms of the middle and outer ear. More specifically, anelectrical stimulus is provided via the electrode array to the auditorynerve, thereby causing a hearing percept.

Conductive hearing loss occurs when the normal mechanical pathways thatprovide sound to hair cells in the cochlea are impeded, for example, bydamage to the ossicular chain or the ear canal. Individuals sufferingfrom conductive hearing loss can retain some form of residual hearingbecause some or all of the hair cells in the cochlea function normally.

Individuals suffering from conductive hearing loss often receive aconventional hearing aid. Such hearing aids rely on principles of airconduction to transmit acoustic signals to the cochlea. In particular, ahearing aid typically uses an arrangement positioned in the recipient'sear canal or on the outer ear to amplify a sound received by the outerear of the recipient. This amplified sound reaches the cochlea causingmotion of the perilymph and stimulation of the auditory nerve.

In contrast to conventional hearing aids, which rely primarily on theprinciples of air conduction, certain types of hearing prosthesescommonly referred to as bone conduction devices, convert a receivedsound into vibrations. The vibrations are transferred through the skullto the cochlea causing motion of the perilymph and stimulation of theauditory nerve, which results in the perception of the received sound.Bone conduction devices are suitable to treat a variety of types ofhearing loss and can be suitable for individuals who cannot derivesufficient benefit from conventional hearing aids.

SUMMARY

The technologies disclosed herein relate to systems and methods forproviding settings adjustments to auditory prostheses. One or moresettings adjustments can be provided to an auditory prosthesis inresponse to a request for the adjustments or a notification that therecipient desires a settings adjustment. The technologies disclosedherein can dynamically adapt based upon information received from a setof auditory prostheses. The information received from the set ofauditory prostheses can be used to update the settings adjustments.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The same number represents the same element or same type of element inall drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view of a cochlear implant worn on a recipient.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary system for performing evolutionary adaption ofsettings adjustments for an auditory prosthesis.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary method for dynamically requesting and applyingone or more settings adjustments.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary of a method for providing one or more settingsadjustments to an auditory prosthesis.

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a suitable operating environment inwhich one or more of the present examples can be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

When a recipient first receives an auditory prosthesis, the audioprosthesis is fitted for the user. Fitting the audio prosthesis involvesdetermining settings for the auditory prosthesis which provides therecipient with best hearing experience. The settings adjustmentsdetermined during the fitting can be based upon the type of auditoryprosthesis, the condition of the recipient, and/or other factors. Due tosuch differences, the settings adjustments from one recipient to thenext can vary. Because of this, the fitting process is often a complexprocess that is performed by an audiologist with specialized trainingfor a particular auditory prosthesis. Due to the complexity, recipientsof auditory prostheses are often not capable of adjusting settingsthemselves. Furthermore, the optimal settings for an auditory prosthesiscan vary from one sound environment to another. For example, the soundcharacteristics of a concert differ from the sound characteristics of arestaurant. To further exacerbate these problems, incorrect settingscould cause a poor experience for the recipient (e.g., distortions,feedback, artifacts, low output, high output, etc.). Often, settingsadjustments are required for different sound environments to provide therecipient with an improved experience. Unfortunately, for thedifficulties previously described, many recipients are unable to adjustthe settings of their auditory prosthesis based upon their current soundenvironment.

Examples disclosed herein relate to systems and methods that dynamicallyprovide settings for a recipient's auditory prosthesis based upon thecurrent sound environment that the recipient is in. Determining propersettings for a particular sound environment generally requires asignificant amount of testing. Furthermore, the settings can differdepending on the type of a user's auditory prosthesis. The systems andmethods disclosed herein can modify stored settings adjustment basedupon analysis of information from a group of recipients, that is, anumber of recipients having a similar audio prosthesis. Settingsadjustments can be a set or profile of settings that can be applied byan auditory prosthesis. Settings adjustments can also be one or moreinstructions to adjust one or more operational parameters of the settingdevice. While specific examples of settings adjustments have beendiscussed herein, one of skill in the art will appreciate that othertypes of settings adjustments can be employed without departing from thespirit of this disclosure. Exemplary settings adjustments can include,but are not limited to, noise reduction management, a compressor systemto give the best amplification for signals with loudness close to normalspeech, beam forming, and other modifications to stimulation output,sound processing, etc. Additionally, while settings adjustments isreferred to in plural form throughout this disclosure, settingsadjustments can also be an adjustment or instruction to adjust a singlesetting.

The technologies disclosed herein relate to systems and methods forperforming evolutionary adaption based upon information received from agroup of auditory prosthesis recipients. For example, if a subjectrecipient in a particular sound environment requests settingadjustments, an auditory prosthesis for that recipient can receive anindication of the recipient's poor experience. In response to receivingthe indication, the auditory prosthesis can collect or otherwisedetermine information about the current sound environment. Theinformation about the current sound environment can be sent orassociated with a request for a settings adjustment to a remote device(e.g., a server) or a plurality of remote devices (e.g., a distributednetwork) by the auditory prosthesis or an intermediary device incommunication with an auditory prosthesis. In response to transmittingthe request, the auditory prosthesis can receive a settings adjustmentfrom the server (or servers). The received settings adjustment can beselected from a plurality of different settings adjustments stored onthe remote device. The selection of the received settings adjustment canbe based on a priority or ranking such that the higher priority (orhigher ranked) settings adjustments are provided to the auditoryprosthesis before the lower priority settings adjustments. The receivedsettings adjustment can then be applied to the auditory prosthesis. Ifthe recipient is not satisfied with the settings adjustment, theauditory prosthesis can received another indication of the recipient'sdesire for new settings and, in turn, send another request for asubsequent settings adjustment. The process can be repeated until theauditory prosthesis is adjusted to the recipient's satisfaction.

The technologies described herein can provide settings adjustments to alarge number of recipients of auditory prostheses. The technologies cancollect information from each recipient that requests a settingsadjustment as well as track whether or not the recipient accepted orrejected a provided settings adjustment. The collected and trackedinformation can be used to adjust a prioritization of a particularsettings adjustment. For example, a prioritization value associated witha particular settings adjustment that has been accepted by manydifferent recipients can be positively modified. Conversely, aprioritization value associated with a particular settings adjustmentthat has been rejected by many different recipients can be negativelymodified. In doing so, a library of settings adjustments can undergoevolutionary adaption such that the better settings adjustments (e.g.,settings adjustments that are more frequently accepted by recipients)are initially provided. Over time, a library of settings adjustments canundergo evolutionary adaption as the prioritization values of thedifferent settings adjustments continually change. This allows for theselection of improved settings adjustments over time. Additionally, thetechnologies described herein are capable of adapting to changes inenvironment, auditory prostheses, and/or recipient preferences to modifywhich settings adjustments are selected as circumstances change.

The technologies disclosed herein can be used in conjunction withvarious types of auditory prostheses, including active transcutaneousbone conduction devices, passive transcutaneous devices, middle eardevices, cochlear implants, and acoustic hearing aids, or other devicesacting as an auditory prosthesis. The devices can be wearable (i.e.,entirely external to the recipient), partially implanted or totallyimplantable (either in or on the head, including in specific portions ofthe anatomy, e.g., in the mouth or below the skin of the skull).Additionally, the technologies can be incorporated into other devicesthat process sound for a member of a conversation, such as, for examplea smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, or other devices. For ease ofdiscussion, the description and examples will be directed to cochlearimplants. However, one of skill in the art will appreciate that thetechnology disclosed herein can be practiced with any type of auditoryprosthesis.

FIG. 1 is a view of a cochlear implant 100 worn by a recipient 101. Thecochlear implant 100 includes an internal component 144 typically havingan internal receiver/transceiver unit 132, a stimulator unit 120, and anelongate stimulating assembly 118. The internal receiver/transceiverunit 132 permits the cochlear implant 100 to receive and/or transmitsignals to an external device 126 and includes an internal coil 136, andpreferably, a magnet (not shown) fixed relative to the internal coil136. Internal receiver unit 132 and stimulator unit 120 are hermeticallysealed within a biocompatible housing, sometimes collectively referredto as a stimulator/receiver unit. The magnets facilitate the operationalalignment of the external and internal coils, enabling internal coil 136to receive power and stimulation data from external coil 130. Elongatestimulating assembly 118 has a proximal end connected to stimulator unit120, and a distal end implanted in cochlea 140. Stimulating assembly 118extends from stimulator unit 120 to cochlea 140 through mastoid bone119.

In certain examples, external coil 130 transmits electrical signals(e.g., power and stimulation data) to internal coil 136 via a radiofrequency (RF) link, as noted above. Internal coil 136 is typically awire antenna coil comprised of multiple turns of electrically insulatedsingle-strand or multi-strand platinum or gold wire. The electricalinsulation of internal coil 136 is provided by a flexible siliconemolding (not shown). In use, implantable receiver unit 132 can bepositioned in a recess of the temporal bone adjacent auricle 110 of therecipient. Various types of energy transfer, such as infrared (IR),electromagnetic, capacitive and inductive transfer, can be used totransfer the power and/or data from external device to cochlear implant.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary system 200 for performing evolutionary adaptionof settings adjustments for an auditory prosthesis. System 200 includesan auditory prosthesis 202 that communicates with a server 204 via anetwork 206. Although only a single server 204 is illustrated in FIG. 2, one of skill in the art will appreciate that a request for settingsadjustments can be sent to a distributed network such as, for example, acloud computing network. The network 206 can be a wired or wirelessnetwork. Although not shown, instead of directly communicating with theserver 206, an auditory prosthesis 202 can communicate via anintermediary. For example, the auditory prosthesis 202 can interfacewith a computing device, such as, for example, a laptop, a tabletcomputer, a smartphone, etc. The computing device can then communicatewith the server 204 via network 206. In examples, auditory prosthesis202 can receive an indication that the recipient desires a settingsadjustment. For example, an indication can be received via a physicalinterface (e.g., a button) on the auditory prosthesis, can be receivedvia a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the auditoryprosthesis, or via other interfaces (e.g., a speech recognition). Inalternate examples, the indication can be automatically generated by theauditory prosthesis. For example, the auditory prosthesis may generatean indication upon detecting a change in its surrounding soundenvironment. Upon receiving the indication, the auditory prosthesis 202can send a request to server 206 for settings adjustment. In examples,the request can be provided to the server along with information aboutthe current sound environment. The current sound environment is thesound environment that the auditory prosthesis resides in at the time ofreceiving the indication. The information about the current soundenvironment can be collected or otherwise determined by the auditoryprosthesis upon receiving the indication. In alternate examples, theinformation about the current sound environment can be collected priorto receiving the indication. In still further examples, the informationcollected by the sound environment can be automatically collected andsent to the server 204 without the auditory prosthesis 202 receiving arequest for new settings. The information collected about the soundenvironment can be transmitted to the server at the time that theinformation is collected or at a later time. In addition toautomatically sending information about a sound environment, theauditory prosthesis can send information about itself, such as type ofauditory prosthesis, the auditory prosthesis' current settings, etc.Providing information about a sound environment and information aboutthe auditory prosthesis with or without a request for a settingsadjustment can be used by the server to prioritize or rank settings. Thepresence, or lack thereof, of a request for a settings adjustmentassociated with the information can determine whether the priority orranking of a settings adjustment is positively or negatively affected.The prioritization or ranking of settings adjustments is discussed infurther detail below. The prioritization or ranking can be defined by avalue assigned to the settings adjustment (e.g., 1, 2, 3), by the orderof the settings adjustments stored in the library (e.g., highest tolowest or lowest to highest), by classification, or by any other methodof prioritizing or ranking.

Upon receiving the request from the auditory prosthesis 202, the server204 determines a settings adjustment. In examples, the determination isbased upon information about the current sound environment, the auditoryprosthesis type, the recipient's ailment or condition, and/or otherinformation received from the recipient's auditory prosthesis or fromother audio prostheses. In examples, the server 204 can be associatedwith a library of settings adjustments. The library of settingsadjustments can be stored on server 204, or on a datastorecommunicatively coupled to server 204, such as datastore 216. Thelibrary of settings adjustments includes settings adjustments that aredynamically determined by the server 206, settings adjustments receivedfrom experts (e.g., an audiologist), prior settings provided by therecipient or by other recipients, etc. The settings adjustments residentin the library can be determined based on other types of informationdeparting from the spirit of this disclosure. In examples, the librarycan be organized according to sound environment, device type, type ofhearing loss, age, or other characteristics of a recipient such as therecipient's hobbies (e.g., producing different settings adjustments whenplaying the drums versus play a flute). The additional information, suchas the information about the recipient, can be provided at the time orprior to the time of the request. The information can be provided by therecipient, by an audiologist setting up a profile for the recipient, orby other parties. Upon determining a settings adjustment, the server 204can transmit the settings adjustment to the auditory prosthesis 202 vianetwork 206.

In examples, the settings adjustment can be prioritized or ranked. Forexample, a number of different settings adjustments can be stored by theserver 204. When the server 204 receives a request for a settingsadjustment, it can determine a subset of settings adjustments based uponinformation associated with the request. For example, there can besubsets of setting adjustments grouped by type of auditory prosthesis(e.g., cochlear implant, traditional hearing aid, bone conductiondevice, etc.), by recipient status or ailment (e.g., single-sideddeafness, sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, mixedhearing loss, etc.), by sound environment (e.g., a restaurant, a concerthall, outdoors, etc.), or by any other type of categorization. Differentsettings adjustments can be prioritized or ranked for each category. Theprioritization or ranking can depend upon feedback received frommultiple auditory prostheses (e.g., worn by other recipients). Forexample, server 204 can also receive requests from and provide settingsadjustments to auditory prosthesis 208, auditory prosthesis 210,auditory prosthesis 212, and/or auditory prosthesis 214. Auditoryprostheses 208-214 can have the same type or different types. Inresponse to providing the settings adjustments, server 204 can receivefeedback from auditory prostheses 208-214. Based on the feedback, server204 can determine the effectiveness of the settings adjustment. Forexample, if the server 204 receives positive feedback from a number ofauditory prostheses 208-214, the ranking or priority of the settingsadjustment can be positively modified. Conversely, negative feedback canresult in a settings adjustment being negatively adjusted. The priorityor ranking of settings adjustments can determine which particularsettings adjustment is selected by the server 204. In a further example,the positive and/or negative feedback can be provided with additionalinformation that can be used by the server 204 to develop additionalsettings adjustments. The library can be updated with the adjustedpriority or ranking. In examples where a library is organized intomultiple categories, a particular settings adjustment can be included inmore than one category. If a particular settings adjustment is includedin more than one category, the settings adjustment can be associatedwith different priority or rankings for each category in which it isincluded.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary method 300 for dynamically requesting andapplying one or more settings adjustments. The method 300 can beperformed by an auditory prosthesis, such as, for example, a cochlearimplant, a traditional hearing aid, a bone conduction device, etc.Alternatively, the method 300 can be performed by a computing deviceconnected to or associated with an auditory prosthesis such as a laptop,a smart phone, etc. The operations of the method 300 can be performed byhardware, by software, or by a combination of hardware and software.Flow begins at operation 302 where an indication that a recipientdesires a settings adjustment is received. In example, the indicationcan be received via a user interacting with an interface, such as, forexample, a button on an auditory prosthesis, a graphical user interface(GUI) of a computing device, or an auditory command interpreted by aspeech recognition component.

In response to receiving the indication or request, flow continues tooperation 304 where information about the current sound environment iscollected. Collecting information about the current sound environmentcan include, but is not limited to, performing operations such as suchas identifying the presence of wind, identifying the presence ofadditional speakers and/or the loudness of surrounding speech,autocorrelation of the environment, identifying tonality, performinglogPowerSpectrum, identifying spectral jaggedness, detecting distortion,timbre, duration of sounds, phase of sounds, and/or signal to noiseratio (SNR), determining a zero-crossing rate, determining aminima/maxima of periodogram, determining reverberation, determiningwhether the hearing prosthesis has registered feedback, and/or receivinguser inputted data about the sound environment. Collecting informationabout the current sound environment can also include making a shortrecording of the current sound environment. The short recording can thenbe analyzed by the hearing prosthesis or by a remote device. It iscontemplated that other methods can be employed to collect informationabout the sound environment. Any type of information about the soundenvironment that can be used to determine a settings adjustment can becollected at operation 304.

Flow continues to operation 306 where a request for a settingsadjustment is sent to a remote device. An exemplary remote device can bea server. Alternatively, the request can be sent to a distributednetwork consisting of multiple servers and/or datastores. In oneexample, the request is sent by itself. In alternate examples, therequest can be sent with information about the current sound environmentand/or information about an auditory prosthesis. In one example, therequest and/or the additional information can be transmitted to a remotedevice by the auditory prosthesis. For example, the auditory prosthesiscan include a wireless interface, such as, for example, a WiFi orBluetooth interface. In alternate example, the request and/orinformation can be routed through an intermediary device connected to anauditory prosthesis, such as a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, and soforth. The intermediary device can be connected to the auditoryprosthesis using a wired or wireless connection.

In response to sending the request and/or additional information, flowcontinues to operation 308 where one or more settings adjustments arereceived. The one or more settings adjustments can be a profile ofsettings that can be applied. Settings adjustments can also be one ormore instructions to adjust one or more operational parameters of thedevice. Exemplary settings adjustments can include, but are not limitedto, noise reduction management, a compressor system to give the bestamplification for signals with loudness close to normal speech, beamforming, and other modifications to stimulation output, soundprocessing, modifying the aggressiveness of a feedback manager, applyingwind noise reduction, etc. In one example, the one or more settingsadjustment can be received directly by the auditory prosthesis, forexample, in instances where the auditory prosthesis generating therequest for settings adjustments has an interface to a network. In otherexamples, the one or more settings adjustments can be received via anintermediary device that is connected to a network, such as, forexample, a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, or other network connectedcomputing devices. In such examples, the intermediary device can processor modify the one or more settings adjustments prior to providing theone or more settings adjustments to an auditory prosthesis. Uponreceiving the one or more settings adjustments, flow continues tooperation 310 where the one or more settings adjustments are applied tothe auditory prosthesis. For example, the one or more settingsadjustments can be used to adjust the configuration settings and/oroperation of an auditory prosthesis at operation 310. In one example,the one or more settings adjustments can be automatically applied. Inalternate examples, a physical interface or a GUI can be used to provideinformation to the recipient about the one or more settings adjustments.In such examples, the one or more settings adjustments are not appliedunless an acceptance of the one or more settings adjustments is receivedvia the physical interface or GUI.

Flow continues to decision operation 312 where a determination is madeas to whether or not the recipient accepts the one or more settingsadjustments. In one example, an indication or acceptance can be receivedvia an interface, such as a physical interface (e.g., a button on theauditory prosthesis) or a GUI. In another example, if input has not beenreceived from the user within a predefined window of time, adetermination can be made that the user accepts the one or more settingsadjustments. If the determination is made that the received settingsadjustment is accepted, then flow branches YES to optional operation314. At optional operation 314, feedback information is sent to theserver and/or distributed network that provided the one or more settingsadjustment. For example, additional information about the auditoryprosthesis, the one or more settings, and/or the sound environment canoptionally be provided at operation 314. The additional informationprovided at operation 314 can be used for the prioritization or rankingor the one more settings adjustments and/or for the creation of newsettings adjustments. After providing feedback information at optionaloperation 314, the method 300 can complete.

Returning to decision operation 312, if a denial of the one or moresettings adjustments is received then a determination can be made thatthe one or more settings adjustments were denied. In alternate examples,a subsequent request for new settings adjustments can also be anindicator that the one or more previously provided settings adjustmentswere not accepted. If the one or more settings adjustments are notaccepted, then flow branches NO and returns to operation 304. Uponreturning to operation 304, additional information about the currentsound environment can be collected. The method 300 then continues fromoperation 304. In alternate examples, it is not be necessary to collectadditional information about the current sound environment. In suchexamples, operation 304 can be skipped. Under such circumstances,decision operation 312 can branch NO to operation 306. In furtherexamples, if more than one settings adjustment is received at operation308, flow can branch NO to operation 308 where another settingsadjustment is applied before sending another request to the remotedevice. In certain embodiments, the method 300 can repeat multiple timesuntil a received settings adjustment is accepted.

FIG. 4 is another example of a method 400 for providing one or moresettings adjustments to an auditory prosthesis. The method 400 can beperformed by a computing device, such as, for example, a server.Alternatively, the method 300 can be performed by multiple computingdevices such that one more operations of the method 400 can be performedby different computing devices. For example, the method 400 can beperformed by two or more servers that are part of a distributed network.The operations of the method 400 can be performed by hardware, bysoftware, or by a combination of hardware and software. Flow begins atoperation 402 where a request for one or more settings adjustments isreceived. The request can be received from an auditory prosthesis orfrom an intermediary device communicatively coupled to the auditoryprosthesis. In one example, the request is an instruction to provide oneor more settings adjustment. Flow continues to operation 404 whereadditional information is received. The additional information can bereceived from an auditory prosthesis or from an intermediary devicecommunicatively coupled to the auditory prosthesis. In one example, theadditional information can be information about the current soundenvironment of the auditory prosthesis that needs to be adjusted. Inalternate examples, the additional information can relate not to thecurrent sound environment of the auditory prosthesis, but rather to apast sound environment in which the auditory prosthesis was producingpoor sound quality and/or a poor user experience. In such examples, theinformation can be provided not in real-time, but rather at a latertime. Receiving past sound environment information can help whenprioritizing or ranking different settings adjustments. Other types ofinformation can also be received at operation 404. For example,information about the auditory prosthesis (e.g., type, current settings,model, etc.) and/or information about the recipient can be received inaddition to the information about the sound environment. In otherexample, third party information can also be received. For example,information from an audiologist can also be received at operation 404.While operation 402 is described as receiving information, one of skillin the art will appreciate that such information can be looked up orretrieved from a datastore without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure.

Flow continues to operation 406 where information about the soundenvironment is analyzed. In further examples, additional information,such as information about the auditory prosthesis, information about therecipient, and/or third party information, can also be analyzed. Forexample, analyzing the received data can be used to determine a type orcategory of settings adjustment. In one example, a fixed ranking ofimportance can be determined based off of the information about thesound environment. For example, the fixed ranking can give differentweights to different characteristics based on importance (e.g.,“signal-to-noise ratio” can be weighted relative to “phase of sounds”information based upon a determination that the signal-to-noise ratio ismore important when determining a settings adjustment). In anotherexample, the information about the sound environment can be analyzed todetermine if there is any significant difference (e.g., higher or lower)of a characteristic as compared to what is considered normal. In suchexamples, characteristics with significant differences can beprioritized when determining a settings adjustment. In yet anotherexample, a multivariate analysis or principle component analysis can beperformed on the information about the sound environment to determine asettings adjustment. While specific types of analysis are describedherein, other types of analysis can be performed without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Based upon the analysis, flow continues tooperation 408 where one or more settings adjustments are selected andprovided to the auditory prosthesis. In example, one or more settingsadjustments can be stored in a library, such as the exemplary librarydescribed with respect to FIG. 2 , that is accessible by the deviceperforming the method 400. The settings adjustments stored in thelibrary can be organized by sound environment, auditory prosthesis type,recipient profiles (e.g., by groups of recipients who have similarpreferences or conditions), and/or any other type of information thatcan be used to categorize a settings adjustment. Furthermore, the one ormore settings adjustments stored in the library can be prioritized orranked such that the settings adjustments with higher priority or rankare selected prior to selecting settings adjustments having a lowerpriority or rank. Selecting settings adjustments based on priorityand/or rank makes it more likely that the selected settings adjustmentwill be accepted by a recipient of an auditory prosthesis. In suchexamples, selecting the one or more settings adjustments can includeselecting one or more settings adjustments stored in the library.

After providing the one or more settings adjustments to an auditoryprosthesis, flow continues to decision operation 410, where it isdetermined whether or not the recipient accepted the one or moreprovided settings adjustment. If a subsequent request for settingsadjustments is received, or if an indication that the one or moresettings adjustments were not accepted, flow branches NO to operation412 where the rejection of the one or more provided settings adjustmentsis logged or otherwise stored. In one example, logging the rejection ofthe one more provided settings adjustments can include recording the oneor more provided settings adjustments, the information about the soundenvironment, information about the auditory prosthesis, third partyinformation, and/or other types of information. Other types ofinformation can include information that relates the one or moreprovided settings adjustments to a prior selected settings adjustment.That way, if the request received at is a subsequent request for asettings adjustment, a series of requests and rejections can berecorded.

After logging the rejection, flow continues to operation 416 where theprioritization or ranking of the one or more provided settingsadjustment are modified. At operation 416, the prioritization or rank ofthe one or more provided settings adjustments can be negatively affectedbecause the provided settings adjustments were rejected. Negativelyaffecting the priority or ranking makes it less likely that the one ormore settings adjustments will be selected in response to a futurerequest by the same recipient or by a different recipient. Among otherbenefits, this provides the benefit of making it more likely that anacceptable settings adjustment will be initially selected upon receivinga first request for settings adjustments. As such, the library ofsettings adjustments can adapt based upon feedback received from anaudio prosthesis or an intermediary device. In other examples, adetermination can be made about how long a user has been using aprovided settings adjustment without requesting another update. In suchexamples, the longer a recipient keeps the settings can be correlatedwith user satisfaction, which can result in an adjustment of thepriority or ranking of the settings adjustment. In another example, therecipient can be queried to determine a satisfaction level of thesettings adjustments. For example, a message can be sent to therecipient to rate the settings adjustment, for example, on a scale,and/or request a written review of the settings adjustments. In suchexamples, the priority or rankings of the provided settings adjustmentcan be based on the feedback information from the recipient. In yetanother example, multiple setting adjustments can be sent to a recipientfor selection. Depending on which settings adjustment is selected by therecipient, the priority or ranking of the different settings adjustmentscan be modified. Flow then returns to operation 404 where additionalinformation can be collected, if necessary. If it is not necessary tocollect additional information, operation 404 can be skipped. Method 400then repeats.

Returning to decision operation 412, a determination that the one moreprovided settings adjustment can be made upon receiving an indicationthat the recipient accepted the one or more provided settingsadjustments. Alternatively, the absence of a response from the auditoryprosthesis within a predetermined period of time can also indicate thatthe one or more provided settings adjustments were accepted. If the oneor more provided setting adjustments are selected, flow branches YES tooperation 414. At operation 414, the acceptance of the one or moreprovided settings adjustments is logged or otherwise stored. In oneexample, logging the acceptance of the one more provided settingsadjustments can include recording the one or more provided settingsadjustments, information about the sound environment, information aboutthe auditory prosthesis, third party information, and/or other types ofinformation. Other types of information can include information thatrelates the one or more provided settings adjustments to a priorselected settings adjustment. That way, if the request received is asubsequent request for a settings adjustment, a series of requests andrejections that preceded the acceptance can be recorded.

Flow continues to operation 418 where the prioritization or ranking ofthe one or more provided settings adjustments are positively modified.At operation 418, the prioritization or rank of the one or more providedsettings adjustments can be positively modified because the providedsettings adjustments were rejected. Positively modifying the priority orranking makes it more likely that the one or more settings adjustmentswill be selected in response to a future request by the same recipientor by a different recipient. Among other things, this provides thebenefit of making it more likely that an acceptable settings adjustmentwill be initially selected upon receiving a first request for settingsadjustments. As such, the library of settings adjustments can adaptbased upon feedback received from an audio prosthesis or an intermediarydevice. For example, the different techniques previously discussed canbe applied at operation 418. The method 400 can then complete.

While operations 416 and 418 are described during execution of themethod 400, one of skill in the art will appreciate that themodification or the prioritization or ranking of a settings adjustmentcan be performed at a later time. For example, the modifications can beperformed by a batch process once a day, once a week, etc., rather thanin response to receiving a request as described in FIG. 4 . In suchexamples, the logged data can be accessed at a later time and processedto perform the modification. Based on feedback, the library of settingsadjustments can be updated periodically or dynamically, therebyleveraging feedback from a large group of users to provide bettersettings adjustments. In other examples, a short recording (e.g., rawsound output) can be provided to a recipient at a later point. Severaldifferent settings adjustments can be applied to the recording. Aselection of the best settings adjustment can then be received.Prioritization or ranking can be modified based upon the selection.

FIG. 5 illustrates one example of a suitable operating environment 500in which one or more of the present examples can be implemented. This isonly one example of a suitable operating environment and is not intendedto suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality. Otherwell-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations thatcan be suitable for use include, but are not limited to, auditoryprostheses. In embodiments, an auditory prosthesis includes a processingunit and memory, such as processing unit 506 and memory 504. As such,the basic configuration 506 is part of an auditory prosthesis and/oranother device working in conjunction with the auditory prosthesis.

In its most basic configuration, operating environment 500 typicallyincludes at least one processing unit 502 and memory 504. Depending onthe exact configuration and type of computing device, memory 504(storing, among other things, instructions to implement and/or performthe functionality disclosed herein) can be volatile (such as RAM),non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.), or some combination ofthe two. This most basic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 5 bydashed line 506. Similarly, environment 500 can also have inputdevice(s) 514 such as a microphone, physical inputs (e.g., buttons),vibration sensors, etc. Other exemplary input device(s) include, but arenot limited to, touch screens or elements, dials, switches, voice input,etc. and/or output device(s) 516 such as speakers, stimulationassemblies, etc. Also included in the environment can be one or morecommunication connections, 512, such as LAN, WAN, point to point,Bluetooth, RF, etc.

Operating environment 500 typically includes at least some form ofcomputer readable media. Computer readable media can be any availablemedia that can be accessed by processing unit 502 or other devicescomprising the operating environment. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer readable media can comprise computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computerstorage media includes RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memorytechnology, solid state storage, or any other tangible or non-transitorymedium which can be used to store the desired information. Communicationmedia embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier waveor other transport mechanism and includes any information deliverymedia. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one ormore of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encodeinformation in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media includes wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

The operating environment 500 can be a single device operating in anetworked environment using logical connections to one or more remotedevices. The remote device can be an auditory prosthesis, a personalcomputer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or othercommon network node, and typically includes many or all of the elementsdescribed above as well as others not so mentioned. The logicalconnections can include any method supported by available communicationsmedia. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices,enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.

In some examples, the components described herein comprise such modulesor instructions executable by operating environment 500 that can bestored on computer storage medium and other non-transitory mediums andtransmitted in communication media. Computer storage media includesvolatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implementedin any method or technology for storage of information such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.Combinations of any of the above should also be included within thescope of readable media. In some examples, computer system 500 is partof a network that stores data in remote storage media for use by thecomputer system 500.

The examples described herein can be employed using software, hardware,or a combination of software and hardware to implement and perform thesystems and methods disclosed herein. Although specific devices havebeen recited throughout the disclosure as performing specific functions,one of skill in the art will appreciate that these devices are providedfor illustrative purposes, and other devices can be employed to performthe functionality disclosed herein without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure.

This disclosure described some examples of the present technology withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which only some of thepossible examples were shown. Other aspects can, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theexamples set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments were provided sothat this disclosure was thorough and complete and fully conveyed thescope of the possible examples to those skilled in the art.

Although specific examples were described herein, the scope of thetechnology is not limited to those specific examples. One skilled in theart will recognize other examples or improvements that are within thescope of the present technology. Therefore, the specific structure,acts, or media are disclosed only as illustrative embodiments. The scopeof the technology is defined by the following claims and any equivalentstherein.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A method comprising: collecting information fromeach of a plurality of hearing devices in use by users; logging theinformation as part of a hearing device information database; analyzingthe hearing device information database to identify a settingsadjustment for at least one of the plurality of hearing devices; andproviding the settings adjustment to the at least one of the pluralityof hearing devices.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein analyzing thehearing device information database to identify the settings adjustmentfor at least one of the plurality of hearing devices comprises:performing evolutionary adaption based upon the information receivedfrom the plurality of hearing devices to determine the settingsadjustment.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein collecting informationfrom each of a plurality of hearing devices in use comprises: collectinginformation about sound environments encountered by the plurality ofhearing devices; and collecting information about the plurality ofhearing devices.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein collectinginformation about the plurality of hearing devices comprises: collectinginformation indicating settings of the plurality of hearing devices inthe sound environments.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein collectinginformation about the plurality of hearing devices comprises: collectinginformation about a type off each of the plurality of hearing devices.26. The method of claim 23, wherein collecting information about soundenvironments encountered by the plurality of hearing devices includes:collecting information indicating presence of wind in the soundenvironments.
 27. The method of claim 23, wherein collecting informationabout sound environments encountered by the plurality of hearing devicesincludes: collecting information indicating presence of additionalspeakers in the sound environments or a loudness of surrounding speech.28. The method of claim 23, wherein collecting information about soundenvironments encountered by the plurality of hearing devices includes:collecting sound recordings of the sound environments.
 29. The method ofclaim 21, further comprising: receiving, from the at least one of theplurality of hearing devices, feedback data related to the settingsadjustment; and logging the feedback data in the database.
 30. Themethod of claim 29, further comprising: using the feedback data todetermine an effectiveness of the settings adjustment.
 31. The method ofclaim 21, wherein prior to providing the settings adjustment to the atleast one of the plurality of hearing devices, the method furthercomprises: receiving, from the at least one of the plurality of hearingdevices, a request for a settings adjustment.
 32. The method of claim21, wherein collecting information from each of a plurality of hearingdevices in use comprises: collecting information associated withsettings adjustments accepted or rejected by users of the pluralityhearing devices.
 33. The method of claim 21, wherein analyzing thehearing device information database to identify a settings adjustmentfor the at least one of the plurality of hearing devices comprises:dynamically determining the setting adjustments for the at least one ofthe plurality of hearing devices.
 34. One or more non-transitorycomputer readable storage media comprising instructions that, whenexecuted by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:log, in a database, information received from each of a plurality ofhearing devices in use by users; perform evolutionary adaption on theinformation in the database to determine one or more settings for atleast one of the plurality of hearing devices; and provide the one ormore settings to the at least one of the plurality of hearing devices.35. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage of claim34, wherein the information received from each of a plurality of hearingdevices comprises: information about sound environments encountered bythe plurality of hearing devices; and information about the plurality ofhearing devices.
 36. The one or more non-transitory computer readablestorage of claim 35, wherein the information about the plurality ofhearing devices comprises: information indicating the settings of theplurality of hearing devices in the sound environments.
 37. The one ormore non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 34, wherein theinformation about the plurality of hearing devices comprises:information about a type off each of the plurality of hearing devices.38. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage of claim34, wherein the information about sound environments encountered by theplurality of hearing devices includes: information indicating presenceof wind in the sound environments.
 39. The one or more non-transitorycomputer readable storage of claim 34, wherein the information aboutsound environments encountered by the plurality of hearing devicesincludes: information indicating presence of additional speakers in thesound environments or a loudness of surrounding speech.
 40. The one ormore non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 39, wherein theinformation about sound environments encountered by the plurality ofhearing devices includes: sound recordings of the current soundenvironment.
 41. The one or more non-transitory computer readablestorage of claim 34, further comprising that, when executed by the oneor more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive, fromthe at least one of the plurality of hearing devices, feedback datarelated to the one or more settings; and log the feedback data in thedatabase.
 42. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storageof claim 41, further comprising that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to: use the feedback datato determine an effectiveness of the one or more settings.
 43. The oneor more non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 41, whereinthe feedback data includes information associated with whether the oneor more settings were accepted or rejected by a user of the at least oneof the plurality of hearing devices.
 44. The one or more non-transitorycomputer readable storage of claim 34, further comprising instructionsthat, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to: prior to providing the one or more settings to the atleast one of the plurality of hearing devices, receive, from the atleast one of the plurality of hearing devices, a request for updatedsettings.
 45. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storageof claim 34, wherein the information received from each of a pluralityof hearing devices comprises: information associated with prior settingswere accepted or rejected by users of the plurality hearing devices.